Apple Valley father and local business owner Frank Shaw is using humor to highlight the High Desert’s steep gas prices through his “Weird Al” Yankovic-inspired YouTube music video, “Paycheck in My Tank.”
Shaw films comical clips at High Desert gas stations and in Apple Valley neighborhoods. In one shot, he’s seen paying a gas station attendant with a mannequin’s arm and leg, playing into the expense euphemism.
In another, a pump screen blinks “You’re broke, see cashier,” after he swipes a card with insufficient funds. Later in the video, as Shaw sings “When you see my rims spinning / That means I’m burning gas,” a pump’s sale price is seen flying above $175, which Shaw says he recorded as he filled up his work truck to reflect real-life costs.
“It’s definitely brutal for High Desert residents,” he said. “The problem is that there just aren’t jobs for people who live in the High Desert, so a bulk of us need to commute down the Cajon Pass for work. You’re burning up gas sitting still in that traffic. It’s killing all of us up here.”
‘It feels like a trap’
When Shaw spoke to the Daily Press, he was on vacation with his wife and five children in Huntington Beach. He couldn’t believe that Orange County gas stations within view of the ocean were a dollar cheaper than in the High Desert.
He said it feels like a trap.
While it’s understandable that gas stations along remote interstate stretches toward Las Vegas might charge higher prices, the situation is different in Victor Valley. The region is far more developed, home to hundreds of thousands of residents. Shaw noted that many people who work up the hill may rarely leave the area otherwise, so why are they still paying commuter-level gas prices?
For an area considered one of Southern California’s more affordable places to live, having some of the highest gas prices doesn’t add up.
“You have to make some major financial decisions when it comes to putting gas in your tank now. What do you choose first: a full tank, getting groceries or paying bills? If you don’t go to work, there’s no money. That has become a priority these last few months. And if affording gas means letting other bills run late, then so be it.”
High Desert residents who have had to start budgeting for elevated gas prices can relate to Shaw’s parody music video with lines like “Got a car, got a job, but the tank on empty.”
‘Paycheck in my Tank’
Shaw has been a painting contractor since 2016. He started his own business this year, manufacturing painting tools. His wife also works full-time. Even with the dual income, the Shaw family, like many in the desert, struggle to fill their tank.
Victor Valley diesel prices have soared well over $8 per gallon in recent months, with fuel following not far behind. The Shaw’s say they remember gas prices spiked in 2022 following Russia’s current invasion of Ukraine, but admit that this time around feels like a peak in prices. That realization is what sparked interest in writing “Paycheck in my Tank.”
Shaw has other parody songs available on streaming services, but “Paycheck in my Tank” is his first music video. His 13-year-old son, known on YouTube as 2K Kid, helped shoot and light his dad’s set.
The song started as a joke, Shaw said, until he realized that people needed something funny and lighthearted during these “stressful times.” The tune was inspired by Yankovic, but “less goofy.” Shaw says he grew up listening to tracks like “Eat It” and “White and Nerdy,” and modeled his own song after Yankovic’s creativity.
All of Shaw’s music is kept family-friendly, reflecting his Christian faith. A father of five, Shaw steers clear of profanity and dark themes in his music, instead delivering messages his community can relate to, like struggling to pay the bills.
McKenna Mobley is a reporter for the Daily Press. She can be reached at mmobley@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: High Desert resident turns gas price pain into parody music video
Reporting by McKenna Mobley, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
